Although it’s tempting to ride the new pathway to Lava Lands, the pathway will remain officially closed until all safety features are in place.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Nature Center................ 8 Calendar...................... 13 SROA Board................ 26
Public Safety................ 24 Commentary................ 46 Classified..................... 47
Long-time SROA employee and Sunriver area resident Marti Croal her loses battle with ovarian cancer after an 8.5 year fight
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S U N R I V E R
S C E N E A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
JULY • 2014
VOLUME XL • NUMBER 7
Owners to vote on boat ramp, board candidates
New rules in effect for accessing the river this summer
By Sunriver Scene staff New rules are in effect at the boat ramp at the Sunriver Resort Marina, which is now clearly posted as private. According to new signage, use is restricted to Sunriver owners and guests. Sunriver owners should carry and be prepared to show their owner identification cards or other proof of ownership. This year the ramp is closed to trailered boat use from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., which coincides with the marina’s business hours. During those hours only hand launching of watercraft is permitted. Trailered boat use by Sunriver owners with identification is permitted before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Owner use of the Resort marina’s private ramp is at the user’s risk. “You may use this property (the boat launch ramp and surrounding land) for recreational purposes. However, you do so at your own risk, and the property owner shall have no liability for personal injury, death or property damage, pursuant to ORS 105.683,” reads one of the new
BROOKE SNAVELY PHOTO
A sign is in place announcing that local identification will be required to use Sunriver Resort’s launch site located between its marina facility and HOLA.
signs at the top of the ramp. Owners who wish to utilize the Resort’s shuttle service must make a reservation and purchase a ticket in person at the Marina office and present the ticket at the canoe takeout. The $20 per boat shuttle fee includes a ride for the passenger and their boat back to the marina.
Members of the general public may rent canoes, kayaks, rafts and paddleboards from the Sunriver Resort Marina. Boat rental fees include shuttle service back to the marina. For information call the Sunriver Resort Marina at 541-593-3492 or
eling, except in vehicles on improved roads. 2. Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires, except in designated areas. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed. 3. Chainsaw use is prohibited, be-
Boat ramp specifics The boat ramp proposal includes: • a paved ramp for launching trailered boats • a river rock beach for hand launching canoes, kayaks and rafts • a paved parking area •a gravel overflow parking area • a plumbed restroom • a card-swipe access gate through which only owners and participants in the IRAP program with active ID cards could pass The ballot measure asks owners to authorize using up to $370,000 from the association’s reserve account to construct the river access improvements. No special assessment is required. The boat ramp project has been years in the making. The push began five years ago when Sunriver Resort began restricting access to the existing ramp next to Hola restaurant. SROA entered into a contractual agreement with Sunriver Resort to maintain owner access to the ramp and pledged to develop its own river access facilities. This year’s ballot measure is the result. Owners had a lot of input on the
Turn to Wildfire, page 3
Turn to Vote, page 20
Turn to River, page 5
Wildfire season: Early restrictions declared to help prevent fires Taking a page from Sunriver, which has a year-round prohibition on outside burning, the Board of Deschutes County Commissioners adopted a resolution imposing public use restrictions and declaring a state of emergency due to dangerous wildland fire conditions. Adopted June 25, the restrictions should help prevent human-caused summer wildfires on all unprotected lands, and Deschutes County-owned lands. The restrictions went into immediate effect and will likely remain in place through mid-October. Central Oregon had a low 65 percent snow pack this past winter and, as a result, the threat of wild land fires is both early – and possibly severe – for the 2014 fire season. The recent Two Bulls Fire, which resulted in significant evacuations, evacuation notices, a FEMA declaration (which was the earliest declaration in Oregon history), SUNRIVER SCENE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN. VOLUME XL • NUMBER 7 P.O. BOX 3278 SUNRIVER, OR 97707
PHOTO COURTESY SUNRIVER POLICE DEPARTMENT
and extreme fire behavior, is compelling evidence that this may be an extraordinary fire season. Unprotected lands are defined as lands outside of Rural Fire Protection Districts, and outside of lands covered by the Oregon Department of Forestry. The resolution includes the following public use restrictions: 1. Smoking is prohibited while trav-
By Sunriver Scene staff Should the Sunriver Owners Association construct a boat launch for exclusive use by its members, their families and guests? Which three of six candidates will be elected to the SROA Board of Directors? Those are choices members must make in the SROA 2014 Election. Ballots will be mailed to members July 10. Completed ballots must be returned by noon Aug. 9 to be counted. Election results will be posted to www.sunriverowners.org Aug. 9 and presented in detail at the SROA Annual Meeting Saturday, Aug. 16, 1 p.m. at SHARC. All Sunriver owners are invited to the annual meeting.
PRSRT STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID BEND, OR PERMIT NO. 213